"Sometimes he has to take a lot of bullets": Coco Gauff opens up on absence of father from players' box with stress tendency

American tennis prodigy Coco Gauff recently opened up about having her parents with her on the WTA tour. The 20-year old shares a strong bond with her parents, who have often been seen cheering her on from the coaches box during her matches.

Gauff is currently competing at the 2024 Madrid Open, where she booked her spot into the third round. The reigning US Open champion made quick work of Arantxa Rus in her opener, recording a swift 6-0 6-0 victory. She next faces Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska as she resumes her conquest to lift her first WTA 1000 title on clay.

In an interview with TIME magazine, Gauff spoke about how both her parents have supported her throughout her career. However, her dad, Corey, is the more emotional of the two and has proven to distract Gauff with his visible reactions during her matches, particularly when she makes mistakes. Therefore, the World No.3 and her coach, Brad Gilbert, made the decision to have him watch her matches form a different location, so as not to affect her performance with his reactions.

"Yeah I mean I am not superstitious at all (but) he's incredibly superstitious," said Gauff of her father. "Yeah my dad is here, don't know where but he is here somewhere. My mom does better holding her nerves in the box.
"My dad, he doesn’t give the best reactions in the box. He’s a very emotional person. Sometimes when I lose a point, the first thing I look at is the box and there’s something more reassuring seeing somebody clapping. Sometimes he has to take a lot of bullets.”